DH Verse Drabbles
by Ngetal Child
Summary: Life continues after the traumatic events of Dollhouse as the Ayers brothers get closer to Tom and Carol and the GB crew. This is a series of snippets in their lives, through the good times and the bad.
1. Chapter 1

Night Terrors

A loud scream shattered the previously tranquil night, the fourth time that week. I popped up without hesitation, rushing to hop off my bed and moving out into the hall. I made my way to the last bedroom in the hallway and pushed the door open and slipped inside, quick to make my way to the tiny, shivering form on the bed. Golden eyes opened at the sound of my entrance and when they fell on me, the relief within them was immediate and overwhelming. He lifted his tiny arms in a silent plea, his voice shaky and weak.

"Seth...?"

I scooped him up in a tight hug and rocked him gently as he sobbed softly into neck, his breathing interrupted sporadically between hiccups that wracked his frame. A slight knock on the door drew my attention and I looked up to see a concerned Tom and Carol standing at the door. I felt a rush of warmth rush through my chest as they crossed the room and sat down on either side of us. Carol threw gentle arms around Jaimie and I and placed a kiss on both our heads. Tom softly tousled Jaimie's hair before repeating the action with my own. It had been a couple months since Jaimie and I had come to live with Carol and Tom and I had come to love the gentle and patient manner in which they handled my brother and I.

Sometimes, when I messed up or had a flashback, I would have a moment in which I was terrified that I had finally reached the end of their patience and they would snap on me. That they would realize I was the monster child that Sir said I was and they would start cursing at me and hitting me like he did. But every time I braced myself for a hit, instead I would get a hug, gentle words, and kisses on the cheek. The first week we had had with Carol and Tom, I had been trying to help out with dinner and accidentally dropped a plate.

As it shattered across the dining room floor, I had frantically started picking it up and apologized profusely. As soon as I felt some one standing over me, I had raised my arms to protect my face out of instinct. Instead of the punch or kick I had been expecting, a large gentle hand had drawn me up and then guided me away from the shards. Tom had tenderly looked over my hands and legs for cuts and when he gave me an affectionate tousle to my hair, I started crying at his obvious kindness. In all of the time since that night, neither Carol or Tom had ever raised their voices, lifted a hand against either of us, nor had they ever said a harsh word.

Wrapped up in Carol's warm hug with Tom's presence a comforting support, Jaimie slowly began to calm down. This whole scene had become routine over the last couple months, the four of us falling into an almost choreographed pattern. As soon as Jaimie had calmed himself down completely, Carol drew back with another kiss to Jaimie's forehead and Tom patted his cheek softly before he got up and went out into the hallway. I knew he was heading down to the kitchen to make up a cup of spiced warm milk. It always served to calm Jaimie down and put him out like a light, but before that happened, there was always one last part of our nighty ritual for whenever Jaimie woke up screaming.

Jaimie turned to ask Carol the same question he always asked on night terror days. "Can I call North, now? He'll want to hear about this!"

"Of course sweetheart. You know the button, right?" Jaimie only nodded as he took Carol's cell phone and tapped at the small icon with a black teddy bear. I had snickered a little the first time I had seen it, because I knew North would not appreciate the icon, but Carol said he was like a big gruff teddy bear. Seeing it now only served to make me smile. She obviously hadn't heard him yell yet, I thought to myself. North's low voice came over the speaker phone after only two rings, just like always. Without any preamble, he launched right into asking questions. Typical mother hen North, the big black teddy bear.

"Jaimie? How bad was it today?"

"It was okay,,," 

"Hey, munchkin two, don't give me that. I know when you are lying to me. Now, scale of one to ten, kiddo."

Jaimie just sighed, rolling his eyes at North's mother henning tone and I shared a grin with him. "I'd say a 5?"

"Munchkin one?" North asked me instead, ignoring Jaimie's indignant squawk, making sure that Jaimie was telling the truth. Grinning wider at North's nicknames for Jaimie and I, I answered North's question good naturedly. "I'd say it was a 5 or 6. They appear to be getting a little better." 

North merely grunted at my answer, before running into his usual list of questions that he had for Jaimie. How long did it last this time? When did he get to bed? Any bad dreams? How long before the attack was set off. As Jaimie dutifully rattled off the answers, North would only make a small noise of acknowledgment, probably taking notes the whole time. He always sounded gruff, but he was always very kind and patient with Jaimie, for which I was eternally grateful. As the questions were wrapping up, Tom reappeared with a couple mugs of spiced milk, which he passed out to Jaimie and I carefully. He ruffled our hair once more and Carol gave us each a hug before they slipped out the door to head back to their room for the night. They knew that Jaimie would be alright for the rest of the night.

I blew on Jaimie's mug gently as he held it out to me and we both took a gulp of the delicious treat. Tom always put in some nutmeg and cinnamon with a little honey, which made the treat creamy and sweet. A sweet, familiar voice in the background had Jaimie and I perking up instantly.

"Alright, munchkins one and two, I'm staying the night with Sang baby and she wants to talk to you, so here she is."

"Hey Seth, Jaimie, how are you feeling tonight? Do you feel better now Jaimie?"

At Sang's voice, Jaimie's face completely lit up as he and I began enthusiastically answering her questions. As much as we were coming to care for Carol and Tom and as much as we respected and admired North and all the other boys, no one one came even close to Sang in our minds. We loved her, plain and simple and she loved us back. If it hadn't been for Sir kidnapping her, we would still be stuck in that house with that bastard. If it wasn't for Sang, I never would have been strong enough to defy Sir and make that fateful call to Mr. Blackbourne. If it wasn't for Sang loving us and accepting us, I don't think we would have been strong enough to survive that horrific night.

In Sang, we had found the love that had been cruelly ripped out of our lives, as if our mother had somehow made it back to us in some fashion. In Sang, we found the older sister we had never had or thought we wanted. And with Sang came North, Kota, Silas, Gabe, Luke, Victor, Nathan, Dr, Green, and Mr. Blackbourne. And from that awesome group of people came our association with Carol and Tom. Sang saved our lives in more ways then one and had become our family. Just the thought of her lifted my spirits when I was having a bad day and the sound of her voice now was obviously a balm to Jaimie's frazzled nerves.

After only a few minutes of talking with Sang, however, North butted in and interrupted. "Alright munchkins one and two, I hate to cut this short, but it's 2:30 in the morning and we all have school tomorrow. You too, Sang baby. If you hurry up and get settled, I might be able to squeeze in a chapter or two, unless you're too tired...?"

"No, please North! We were just getting to a good part. At least one chapter, please?!" I begged. Jaimie was quick to join in and started asking 'please, please, please' over and over. North had taken up the habit of reading to us while we were in the hospital and Jaimie and I had come to really enjoy it. North always ended a bad night with a chapter or two until we fell asleep. We were now onto the fourth Harry Potter and North had insisted on ending last time with Harry getting stuck in the office with the crazy Mad Eye trying to kill him! We had begged him to keep going, desperate to find out what happens to Harry, but North had remained firm and made us go to sleep.

Now, we hopped under the covers and placed the phone in between us as we settled into the pillows on Jaimie's bed, our mugs of milk warming our hands. North seemed to know exactly when we had settled for he quickly started up the scene and Jaimie and I were quickly re immersed into the terror that Harry was facing.

"At that moment, Harry fully understood for the first time why people said Dumbledore was the only wizard Voldemort had ever feared. The look upon Dumbledore's face as he stared down at the unconscious form of Mad-Eye Moody was more terrible than Harry could have ever imagined. There was no benign smile upon Dumbledore's face, no twinkle in the eyes behind the spectacles. There was cold fury in every line of the ancient face; a sense of power radiated from Dumbledore as though he were giving off burning heat..."

Within twenty minutes, we had drifted off into a sleepy doze. Just as we teetered on the edge of dreamless sleep, I heard Sang and North's quiet goodbyes.

"Goodnight, my boys, I'll see you in my dreams."

"Good night, munchkins one and two, don't let the bed bugs bite..."

I grinned in complete contentment as I heard the small click indicating the end of the call and pulled Jaimie a little tighter in a hug as I finally fell into a peaceful nights rest. I dreamed of two lost little boys who were rescued by the soft kisses and loving green eyes of the lovely fairy princess. Of magic and danger galore. Of an evil sorcerer and nine knights who swept in and saved the day. And while they may be damaged at the end of it all, they lived happily ever after, they really did.


	2. Chapter 2

Out of the Mouth of Babes

Driving down the street, the sun on my face and a breeze drifting over my cheek from the open window, I basked in the peace of the moment. It was my first day off in over two weeks and I was taking full advantage of getting away from the hustle and bustle of the hospital. Soft music had been playing in the back ground and I had been humming softly along, but when Happy by Pharrel Williams came on, my passenger in the back squealed out in sudden excitement.

"Turn it up, Dr. Sean, turn it up! Please?"

I chuckled at the sheer enthusiasm in little Jaimie Ayers' voice and turned up the volume of the radio until the music was at a comfortably loud level. Looking into my rearview mirror, I laughed out loud at the sight of Jaimie dancing and singing along to the song in his car-seat. "You like this song Jaimie Boy?"

"Yes! Carol likes to play it when we clean up at home and Seth and I dance to it! Sing with me Dr. Sean."

I shook my head, deeply amused, and started to softly sing along to the upbeat song, drumming my fingers along to the beat on the steering wheel. My voice steadily gained volume as we sang along with each lyric. By the next chorus, we were both belting the song out at the top of our lungs, Jaimie almost unintelligible because he was giggling so hard.

"Because I'm happy  
Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof  
Because I'm happy  
Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth  
Because I'm happy  
Clap along if you know what happiness is to you  
Because I'm happy  
Clap along if you feel like that's what you wanna do"

Jaimie was bouncing around to the song, his fluffy black curls flopping into his eyes and his golden eyes glowing, clapping his hands to the song. I felt my grin expand at his obvious joy and turned into the parking lot of our destination. Jaimie was too into the song to notice that we had stopped, or he just wanted to finish the song. So, I continued to join in and ignored the odd looks I was getting from people watching us belt out the song at the top of our lungs. As the last strains fell away, I turned around to face the flushed and giggling boy, and gave him a wink.

"Well, Jamie Boy, that was a spectacular if I do say so. I'm impressed! I never knew anyone could giggle and sing at the same time, but you sure showed me! What is that, singling? Siggling? You should practice that more often."

Jaimie only giggled harder to at that and shook his head in delight as I started helping undo the buckle to his car seat. "Dr. Sean, I was singing! Not giggling. Giggling is something girls do."

"Oh, well if that's true, maybe you should start asking Carol to put pig tails in your hair and get you some pretty dresses, because you were definitely giggling there Jaimie boy."

"Shut up! I'm a boy!"

I lifted the squirming, giggling child out of the seat and set him over my shoulder and began to casually make my way into the small shop. A small bell sounded through out the brightly lit and colored ice cream shop and people turned to regard us as we entered, Jaimie's giggles and shrieks of laughter sounding loudly. Ignoring the reproving glare that I was getting from an uppity looking women, I walked to the counter, Jaimie nearly breathless with laughter at this point and probably a little light headed from blood rush. The girl behind the counter was fighting a smile at our antics and asked us what she could help us with.

Swinging Jaimie down and holding him steady, I turned to ask him what he wanted. His eyes were instantly glued to the large glass cases in front of him, filled with flavor after flavor. The look of awe in his young face sent a thrill of pleasure through my chest. Last weekend, Carol and Tom had hosted dinner for all our family and had vanilla ice cream for dessert. I had asked the kiddos what flavors were their favorites, hoping to make a mental note for future reference. Seth had instantly popped in with mint chocolate chip, but Jaimie had gotten quiet and never answered.

Later, Seth had informed me that Jaimie had never had ice cream before a month ago and so far had only had vanilla and chocolate. It had completely boggled my mind and I had promised Jaimie that the next day off, I would take him to my favorite ice cream shop. Every child deserved to enjoy the sweet creamy goodness that was ice cream, in all the flavors of the rainbow. And Jaimie was going to get a crash course in all of them.

"Dr. Sean, I don't know which one to choose. They all look soooo good!"

"Well, how about we try one of each and then you can choose your favorite." I turned to face the waiting girl and directed my next question to her. "Is that fine? Can he sample them all? I'll pay for it, regardless."

"Oh, no need sir, I'd be happy to give him a taste of each if he wants."

For the next five or so minutes, Jaimie sampled all 28 of the flavors available with the severity of a professional wine taster. I had to bite my cheek to keep from laughing at how adorably serious he was treating each sample. After he had tried the last one, he turned to me and said, "I think I like them all, but bubble gum was my favorite. And the cotton candy was pretty good. And the cake batter one too!"

"One bubble gum, cake batter, cotton candy cone coming right up then. Miss, can we get that in a waffle cone? And we'll also get a large strawberry cheesecake waffle cone please."

The girl behind the counter quickly rang us up, shooting me a large smile, and turned to make our cones quickly. Jaimie looked awed as the large three scope cone was placed into his eager hands, which he held almost reverently. I directed him to a small table and took a seat and just watch Jaimie's obvious pleasure with his treat. Every child enjoyed ice cream, but it was obvious to me that Jaimie had never had the pleasure to do this before. I felt a small burst of sadness that he had been deprived of a normal childhood full of normal childlike things.

But that's why you are here, I reminded myself. You are here so that Jaimie can experience the simple pleasure of a sugar rush that leads to a eventual crash. A rite of passage for every child, of any age. I was enjoying my own ice cream cone in pleasant silence when a ding from the doorway drew my attention. A heavily pregnant women entered the shop with what I presumed was her husband or boyfriend and approached the counter. Judging from the large belly on her petite frame, she was getting very close to her due date. Her build was similar to Sang's and I found myself wondering if she would look the same whenever she had kids. I forced myself to stop that train of thought, however, because if I wasn't ready to think about the logistics of that reality. Maybe someday, I though wistfully.

"Sean, how are babies made?"

Jaimie's innocent inquiry took me completely by surprise and I said the first thing that popped into my head.

"Babies grow in a cabbage patch, Jaimie Boy."

I immediately wanted to smack myself for how stupid I sounded right then and based on the look Jaimie was leveling me at that moment, he thought so too. He rolled his bright eyes in exasperation, a pout on his cherubic face. "Dr. Sean, I 'm five, not stupid."

Feeling a little sheepish, I nodded my head at him. "No, Jaimie Boy, you most definitely are not stupid. Well, that's a good question...you see, when mommies and daddies love each other very much...a baby is made."

Are you shitting me, Sean, I berated myself, that was your grand explanation? I looked at Jaimie, hoping that he would accept that answer. "I know that Dr, Sean, but HOW is the baby made. My friend at preschool, Davie, his brother told me that babies are made when parents wrestle with one another. He said that's how their baby sister Angie was made. Is that true Dr. Sean?"

His eyes might as well have been lazer beams, they were so focused on mine as I floundered to find an appropriate answer. I ended up deciding that the path of least resistance and trauma was the best course of action. "Well, that's true Jaimie, mom's and dad's do wrestle to make a baby."

Jaimie nodded his head, instantly accepting my explanation as pure fact of the world and my heart melted a little at his innocence. I sighed a little to myself, feeling as if I had just managed to avoid a crises when Jaimie popped in with a question that took me completely by surprise.

"Does that mean that Sang is pregnant?"

In my shock, I had inhaled some of my ice cream down my windpipe and I sputtered and coughed for a good couple minutes, struggling to clear my airway. Jaimie just watched me in bemusement as I floundered around. As soon as I was mostly recovered, I instantly questioned Jaimie. "What makes you say that squirt?"

"Well, the other day, Sang and Luke came over and we made cookies and watched a movie. Sang and Luke started wrestling on the floor during the movie. So doesn't that mean that Sang's going to have a baby?"

"No, Jaimie Boy, no! She's not pregnant!" Thank God, I added to myself. "Babies aren't made from that type of wrestling...it's something that only adults can do and they like to do it alone."

Jaimie scrunched his nose in adorable confusion, his face a little dubious. Damn, this kid was way too damn smart. "So, you are saying that it is a special type of wrestling that is only done when mommies and daddies are alone?"

"Yep, you got it Jaimie boy! Exactly, so that's how babies are made."

"Okay...but how do the babies get in the mommies tummy?"

Oh, fuck, what the hell was I supposed to say to that? This kid was like a dog at a bone, I swear. My thoughts were frantically trying to think of an answer that wouldn't ruin the child's innocence. This was too nerve wracking! Nice Sean, you can cut a man open and play with his innards, no problem, but when faced with the baby inquisition, you turn into a coward!

"Um, Jaimie Boy, that's a funny thing, that. The daddy kisses the mommy" with their genitals maybe "and they exchange some...uh, love juice," if that's what you want to call it, "and uh, volia! The mommy gets the baby put in her tummy."

"Ohhhhhh, that's how it happens. Thanks Dr. Sean for telling me!"

I sent a silent prayer of relief that it was over as Jaimie turned back to devouring his melting treat. I had just popped the last of my cone in my mouth when Jaimie spoke again.

"Dr. Sean, what is twerking?" 

And off I went again, chocking on the shards of waffle cone in my windpipe, which felt like tiny shards of glass. Here we go again, I thought to myself. Next time I went out with Jaimie, I was bringing Owen. I was so not going to be the only one responsible for ruining this poor kids' childhood. Whoever said curiosity killed the cat had it all wrong. Curiosity killed everyone around the cat in reality/ I hadn't even recovered myself fully before Jaimie popped in with a new one and then I just lost it.

"And what's a rachet ho? Is that like a gardening hoe?"

Oh dear lord, this kid was going to kill me! Thankfully, Jaimie had just finished his cone, so in my fit of helpless giggles, I scooped him up and hurried out the door. There was no way in hell I was going to be caught stuck with an ever curious Jaimie when the sugar rush hit! I'll leave that little gem of fun for Tom and Carol. Jaimie protested a little at our sudden departure, but he seemed completely amused by my helpless fit of laughter. As I pulled out of the parking lot onto the road, Happy popped up on the radio once again and Jaimie was distracted once more, thank God! Now it was my turn to practice siggling and Jaimie joined right in.


	3. Chapter 3

A Very Merry Birthday to You

"No, no, no! Gabriel, what the fuck are you doing?! The sword went THROUGH the top of the basilisk's mouth, not into his fucking throat."

"Shut the fuck up, North, I know what I'm doing! I have an idea, get the stick out of your ass, stop fucking micromanaging me doing MY fucking job, and go help Silas and Nathan with the Great Hall. Mmmkay, pumkin?"

I grinned in response to North's angry growl as he stalked out of the room I was currently putting the final touches on. After I readjusted the sword to North's damn specifics, I took a moment to lean back on the ladder I was using to take in the full effect of the room. Damn, I'm good. This current room had been designed to look like a dungeon of sorts, complete with fake rats, dripping pipes, creepy statues, torches and one ginormous basilisk. A pretty damn good reproduction of the Chamber of Secrets if I do say so. Jaimie was going to flip his fucking shit over this, I just knew it.

"Hey, Gabriel, Princess just gave me a call. They're about 45 minutes out, but she said they can take a few "detours" if you need more time." 

I turned to face Victor and tried to fight back a giggle. Key word being fucking tried. Victor was currently dressed in robes of emerald and silver, his wavy hair slicked back, with a Slytherin house badge displayed prominently on his chest. Despite how funny seeing Victor roleplay as a fucking Draco Malfoy lookalike truly was, I couldn't help but admire the elegant cut of the robes. Double damn, I'm fucking good. Victor knew me all too well and merely lifted a sculpted eyebrow in cool disdain at my giggles.

"Shut up, Gabriel. Do you want me to tell Sang and the others to take longer or not?"

"No way, man! We're going to have this shit finished ahead of schedule. That is, if those asswipes upstairs don't fuck up the Great Hall."

Victor rolled his eyes in exasperation and turned to walk out. I followed behind him as we walked up out of the "Chamber". I took in the electric candles hanging by ultra thin fishing line, the suits of armor, the "moving" paintings that were really LED screens, and the holographic "ghosts" that we passed with a slight whistle of appreciation. Triple damn, I'm really fucking good. Victor smirked at me and looked more then a little smug. He had spared no expense for this whole thing and had given me carte blanche to do whatever the fuck I wanted, with full access to his black credit card. I might have gone a wee bit over board, but it was for a good cause, so fucking sue me, alright?

As we got closer to the main area that we were using for the Great Hall, I could hear North barking orders and Silas cursing up a blue streak. As soon as we walked into the room, I froze in my spot, taking it all in. Hundreds of candles floated above four tables, each decked out in the colors of the four houses of Hogwarts. Large banners baring the sigel of each house was proudly displayed above each table. In the very center of the room hung the Hogwarts crest on a giant purple silk banner. Large runners of purple velvet lined the large room's walls, with backlighting casting an ethereal, soft glow. Thousands of strands of delicate lights, which alternated colors, and crystals hung from the ceiling, representing the night sky.

More lights ran through complex and individualized centerpieces for each table, with which I had worked countless fucking hours to complete the damn things. It was all fucking worth it, though. The whole room looked fucking amazing and Jaimie was going to piss himself, I just knew it. Turning my attention to the work still being done, I found North "directing", aka fucking screaming at, Silas and Nathan in putting up a chandelier complete with hundreds of electric candles. Silas shot something down at North in Greek which sounded less then complimentary. North frowned in response and flipped Silas off, which caused the Greek to start laughing. Nathan cursed under his breath as he strained to center the heavy fucking thing and managed to get it in placed with copious expletives.

"Hey, dickwads, you somehow managed to not fuck up, I'm impressed!"

"Fuck you, Gabriel. I didn't see you lugging up this fucking thing. Where the hell did you find this fucker? Fucking hell? It weighs a fucking ton." Nathan frowned down at me as he wiped a hand across his sweaty face, which was bright red with exertion.

I had just opened my mouth to shoot something snide when Kota's commanding voice cut me off. "Guys, I just got off the phone with Mr. Blackbourne. They're only about 15 minutes away, so wrap this up and get dressed." With a few grumbles from Nathan and North, we managed to quickly put away the last of our prep work and got into costume. I had carefully designed and planned out each person's set of robes for the day, naturally, and after we had all met back together outside of the Great Hall, I took a moment to assess each boy with a critical eye.

Silas looked a little out of place at the moment, as he was the only one sporting the Hufflepuff blacks and yellows. I had jokingly recommended that house to Silas, expecting him to tell me to fuck off, but he had agreed instantly to the choice. If Silas wanted to be in the pansy ass house, then he could knock himself out, I had thought, but he looked very distinguished in the outer robes. The colors also went nicely with his olive toned skin and dark looks. Kota was also the only one wearing the Ravenclaw blues and grays. He looked the part of the studious house with his button upped shirt, straight tie, and impeccable robes. I had to bite my lip as he pushed his glasses up his nose in a very pointdexter-like way. Kota couldn't have looked more like a fucking Ravenclaw if he tried, I mused to myself.

North had joined Victor in the greens and silvers of Slytherin house, his normally sour expression fitting the look to a tee. Looking at the two of them together, I was reminded again of Draco Malfoy, now with one of his trusty burly sidekicks. I couldn't suppress the giggle this time and shook off Luke's inquiring look for later. There was no way in hell I was telling North to his face that he reminded my of Crabbe or Goyle...or Millicent Bulstrode. I liked having my balls fucking attached, thank you very much.

Luke and Nathan were both dressed in Gryffindor golds and reds, looking smart in the clean lines of the outer robes. Luke had his long blond hair pulled back with a red ribbon, his tie loose and his undershirt unbuttoned. I rolled my eyes at his fucking exhibitionist tendencies. Nathan, on the other hand, had the top two buttons undone, but his tie was in place. He had rolled the sleeve of his shirt up to his elbow and his russet hair was damp and tucked behind his ears. I myself was decked out in the colors of Gryffindor, naturally. I mean, I wasn't a fucking coward, now was I? Straightening out some imaginary creases in my own robes, I smirked in complete self-satisfaction. What can I say? I have a real fucking gift.

"Alright everybody, they just pulled up. It's show time, so let's make this a day that Jaimie won't soon forget."

Just as Kota finished saying that, the entrance to the building opened with a slight creak and little Jaimie Ayers came bounding into view, tugging a giggling and breathless Trouble and Seth behind him. His golden eyes lit up with extreme delight as he took in the seven of us decked out in our costumes. The Doc, Mr. Blackbourne, and Tom all entered after at a more sedate pace, followed by a gaggle of about 20 or so children. All of their young faces were full of awe as they took in the decorated foyer area, complete with moving portraits, torches, and velvet carpet runners. We gave the kids a few moments to soak in the atmosphere that we had been slaving away for weeks to create, basking in their obvious joy when the sounds of someone approaching rang off the stone floors from down the hall.

As expected, every young child turned to face the approaching sound, looking curious and excited. Carol, dressed up in formal black robes and donning a hat that would be the envy of any witch, came down the hallway as instructed, carrying with her a ratty looking hat. Stopping in front of the group of children and adults, she addressed the assembled group with all the poise of a queen.

"Welcome to Hogwarts, my new pupils. I am professor Richardson, the headmistress. You are about to enter the hallowed halls of this great and noble institution, but first you must be sorted into your house and receive your house robes. The four houses of Hogwarts are Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, Slytherin, and Gryffindor. Upon hearing your name, you will come forward and our sorting hat will place you into the house that fits you best."

At Carol's little opening speel, Jaimie had begun to practically dance in place, his face so overjoyed that I felt instantly gratified for all of the sleepless nights I had endured to get this whole thing set up. The other children whispered to one another in excited whispers, smiles wide on their young cherubic faces. Carol's mouth twitched a little in amusement as she fought to keep her mouth set in a stern expression. She pulled out a roll of parchment paper, which contained a list of the attendees and which house they were assigned to. Seth had helped with the placement of each of Jaimie's guests a few weeks ago. Clearing her throat, Carol paused a moment for dramatic before calling the first name, that of the birthday boy himself.

"Jaimie Ayers"

Jaimie squealed in delight before racing up to stand in front of Carol, his hopping from foot to foot making it a little difficult to place the hat on his baby duck butt hair. The kid froze in complete surprise when the hat began to move and speak, making indecisive mutterings about "how interesting" and "what a wonderful mind". Fuck yes, we had bought an automatonic sorting hat with programmed responses. The wonder on Jaimie's face said it all. This whole day was becoming more and more real for him and damn it all if we were not making it the best birthday party ever. After all, it was his first and only one so far, so we were making up for all the ones he had lost under the "tender" care of his fucking waste-of-space dad.

After only a few short moments, the hat called out "HUFFLEPUFF," of which was Jaimie's favorite house. Silas strode forward and handed the practically hyperventilating from excitement birthday boy a set of black and yellow robes and directed him to a room in which he could change. Seth followed right after, being placed into Ravenclaw with a grin. Mr. Blackbourne was placed within Slytherin and I could have sworn he grinned at the announcement. The Doc was placed within Ravenclaw as well and Tom was placed within Gryffindor.

Trouble was one of the last placed, having been put into Hufflepuff, unsurprisingly, and she looked completely adorable in her delicate robes. It only took a few short moments for the children to realize that each set of robes came with an individualized wand. Sang's was a pretty purpleheart wood/unicorn tail wand, of which the Doc had instantly asked if they could switch. I had been about to reprimand him for being a whiny bitch when Jaimie popped right in and told the Doc in no uncertain terms that "the wand chooses the witch" and not the other way around.

Carol gathered everyone's attention as the last child finished changing into their robes and had everyone follow her into the Great Hall. If the kids had been impressed before, they were completely stunned now. Their eyes were open as wide as they could possibly go and they swiveled around frantically, attempting to watch everything at once. The children were directed to sit at their house tables and after a rousing song of Hoggy hoggy Hogwarts, lunch was served by the catering service I had hired. They were all dressed in formal, uniform robes and impressed the group of young children.

I watched as Jaimie chattered with his friends and Sang and Silas, inhaling his food at an impressive rate. I caught Trouble's eye from across the room and she sent me the most stunning and pleased smile. She was as impressed by this entire thing as much as the kids were and I could tell she was enjoying herself. Damn, I really am that fucking good. The little brats at my table were shooting Luke, Nathan, and I question after question, and I felt my head beginning to hurt. Where in the hell did they get their fucking energy? Tom just sent me a wink as I got more and more frazzled by the little hyper monsters.

After lunch, a tour of the castle was given and Jaimie's eyes and smile just kept getting bigger and bigger as it went along. The kiddies got to see all of the hard work we had put into this with each passing room. Everything was included from the owlery, complete with real owls of every shape and size, to the potions room full of bubbling and smoking potions, to the Room of Requirements with a dueling mat set up, to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom complete with a holographic Myrtle, to the Chamber of Secrets and basilisk. With each squeal of delight from Jaimie and look of amazement from Seth, I felt my joy ratchet up one more notch. Jaimie's guests were beside themselves as they took in all of the rooms, occasionally giving a small shriek of surprise at the "ghosts" coming from the walls or the suits of armors singing. One girl screamed at the Dementors set up in a hallway, being scared off by a stag "patronus".

After the tour, the kiddies were directed outside to play a game of quidditch. A few of the girls decided not to participate, but they eagerly sat on the sidelines and watched the game unfold. Jaimie and Seth were tasked as the Seekers on opposing teams and taunted each other goodnaturedly as they sought out the golden Snitch. Trouble sat on the edge of her seat to my left, cheering for both teams with North being on my right. He had been yelling tips to both boys all game when I noticed a slight little girl tug on his robe sleeve. North turned his attention down to the tiny little girl with big blue eyes and brown hair, raising an eyebrow in question. She had on a Ravenclaw robe, I noticed in passing.

"Excuse me, sir, but are you supposed to be Goyle?"

North stiffened at her question and I choked in surprise before giggling uncontrollably. This girl had totally read my mind! I watched as North struggled to keep his face neutral as he addressed the girl and told her that he was in fact not Goyle. She appeared to be a little disappointed but she quickly turned her attention back to the game. I was at this point nearly breathless with giggles and was completely taken by surprise by the forceful elbow to my diaphragm. Now literally breathless, I hunched over and desperately attempted to suck air into my lungs, my spasming diaphragm being uncooperative. I glared up at North, silently calling him the twatlip thundercunt he was, but North studiously ignored me and continued cheering for the kids.

Trouble leaned in at that moment and asked if I was okay, her sweet face close to mine with concern clear in her eyes. I quickly reassured her that I was just fine and used the moment to wrap an arm around her slender shoulders. As she cuddled into my side and returned her attention to the kiddies, I shot North my best shit-eating grin which was met with North's blackest glare. Well, fuck him, it was his own damn fault. It certainly wasn't my fucking fault that even a young child thought he looked like one of Malfoy's stooges. Maybe he should learn to stop looking like a dick all the time.

After an hour of playing, Jaimie's team was declared the victor after Seth very obviously let the kid have the Snitch. Jaimie, breathless and overjoyed, hauled up his winning trophy with his teammates. The losing team were all good sports and received butterbeer and Hogsmeade candies with the winning team. They gave the kids a chance to catch their breaths and enjoy their treats before Carol announced the Horcrux hunt. Instantly, all of the kids perked up and were all on board in a heartbeat. Broken up again into their houses, each group of children were given a set of different clues to find the seven Horcruxes. A scorecard was given to each group and a camera. The first group to meet back at the Great hall with a full scorecard and photos of all seven horcruxes received the winning prize. Extra points would be given if a group could find the extra hidden Deathly Hallows.

I was the one who had hidden each of the items, so I was the one to stay behind as the groups went off to try to find all of the items the fastest they could. I took a seat in the Great Hall, basking in how perfect this whole day was working out, and waited for the first team to get back. I occasionally texted each of the guys to see how their groups were progressing and especially enjoyed North's text about the "fucking Giant Squid in the pond" grabbing him and pulling him in. He didn't need to know that I was the one remotely controlling the mechanical beast.

After about an hour, I began prepping the final portion of the evenings festivities. The kiddies would be finishing up within the next half hour or so and I needed to make sure everything was perfect. The catering service went about getting dinner set up and I set up all of the presents that had been brought into a small mountain of a pile. I also set about making sure that the cake was ready to go and absolutely perfect. It was a replication of the Hogwarts castle, complete with a lake, Forbidden Forest, Hagrid's hut, and had a mini Jaimie in Hufflepuff robe standing in the castle entrance. In big lettering, "_Happy Magical 6__th__ Birthday Jaimie" _was written across it. The kid was going to flip his shit at this one!

Seeing that everything was in order, I returned to my position in the Great Hall and waited anxiously for the kiddies to return. Noise of little running feet caught my attention and was not surprised when the group of Slytherin's burst back into the large room. The children looked flushed as they ran right up to me, only to look back impatiently when they realized their chaperones were being a little slow. I had to fight the giggle that threatened to erupt as a sopping wet North stalked into the room followed by an amused Victor and a neutral Mr. Blackbourne. North slapped down the camera into my hand a little harder than fucking necessary, really, and Victor handed over the scorecard.

I checked through the pictures, laughing outright when I noticed that someone had taken a picture of North being dragged into the lake. At Mr. Blackbourne's subtle smirk, I had a guess as to whom had done it. North went bright red, literally biting his tongue to keep from cussing me out in front of the kiddies. Still chuckling, I went through the rest of the images and noted that they had indeed gotten each of the Horcruxes and one of the Deathly Hallows, the Invisibility Cloak. The Gryffindor group came in right at that moment, disappointed to find that they were not first and lacking a Deathly Hallow, they lost with a few grumbles. The Ravenclaws were next to arrive and had the same Deathly Hallow on their scorecard as the Slytherins, which placed the two groups in a tie.

I started to get a little worried when the Hufflepuffs didn't show up shortly after. I nervously checked my watch every so often and after twenty minutes and not a fucking hide or hair of the Hufflepuffs to be seen, I was about ready to hunt them down when the large doors to the Great Hall suddenly burst open. Trouble led the way into the Hall with the rest of the Hufflepuffs trailing after her like she was a momma duck. Little Jaimie was sitting on Silas' broad shoulders, grinning like a fucking loon and waving their camera around animatedly. Trouble handed over their scorecard with a wide grin and Jaimie leaned down to give me the camera, practically bouncing up and down from his vantage point, his face split in the biggest fucking smile I had ever seen.

With amusement, I looked through their pictures, noting each of the seven horcruxes. I laughed at each of the ridiculous poses the kiddies and Trouble made at each horcrux, ranging from a Charles' Angels-esque pose to body builder poses. Like the Slytherins and the Ravenclaws, the Hufflepuffs had found the Invisibility Cloak, but what caught me by complete surprise was they had somehow managed to locate both the Elder Wand and the Resurrection Stone as well. In those last two photos, Jaimie and Trouble looked so damn victorious and I had to shake my head in wonderment. I announced that the Hufflepuffs had won the game to the other teams and lighthearted groans and outcries of disbelief rang out through the room. The winning team received their prize of bags of golden galleons, real gold mind you, while the other teams got silver sickles and bronze knuts.

The kiddies all loved their prizes and were quickly distracted by the call for dinner. At this point, the kiddies were practically half starved and jumped into scarfing their food down with gusto. Spirits were high throughout all of dinner and Luke and I set about making our group laugh by making mashed potato sculptures. Nathan rolled his eyes at our childish antics before joining in with a competitive glint in his eye. I still say my potato hippogriph was the most realistic, thank you very fucking much. As the feast wound down, Carol stood up and tapped her goblet of pumpkin juice to get everyone's attention.

"Now that you have all finished up your meal, how about we get to cake and presents!?"

A rousing cry of excitement rose up at this decree and the catering staff began wheeling in the birthday cake. The entire thing was lit with small white candles, though six larger green ones were prominently displayed in front of the writing. Jaimie's eyes got impossibly wide as his mouth popped open into a perfect little "o" in wonderment as he took in the massive cake. The Doc started us off into a loud and enthusiastic round of Happy Birthday, in which Luke and I belted out the lyrics at the top of our lungs. At the end of the song, Jaimie closed his eyes tight, his lips moving soundlessly as he made his birthday wish, before he stood up and worked hard at blowing out every candle.

It took him a few passes to get the entire set of candles blown out, but as soon as he did, we were clapping and cheering the little boy. The cake was quickly cut and served with bubble gum ice cream, Jaimie's favorite, and all of the little monsters dug into the treat enthusiastically. The cake was white with funfetti sprinkles inside and a custard filling. Jaimie seemed to practically glow as he devoured his slice, smearing a little bit across his face. Trouble giggled at the mess on his face and cleaned it up, which only made Jaimie beam up at her in response.

After the cake and ice cream had been devoured and all of the little monsters were good and hyped up, it was time for presents. Jaimie was relocated to his mountain of presents and dug into them with sheer delight. He got a variety of toys and games from his friends and he was a gracious birthday boy, making sure to thank each gift giver. The Doc had given Jaimie an i-pod which already carried a list of songs that Jaimie loved. Mr. Blackbourne had given Jaimie a really nice chess board made of clear and fogged crystal that he promised to teach Jaimie how to play. Kota had given Jaimie a chemistry lab kit which had Jaimie grinning like the future mad scientist he could be. Nathan gave Jaimie his own tent and sleeping bag for "backyard camp outs". Silas gave Jaimie two tickets to the World Series with a promise to take him and his guest to see it someday.

Victor got Jaimie a state of the art keyboard with all the bells and whistles and promised to teach the young boy how to play it. Luke got Jaimie really nice lock pick set, which Jaimie had been begging Luke to teach him how to for months, despite Carols teasing frown. North's present was a Kindle Fire with which he had already downloaded several series with which to read Seth and Jaimie next. My gift to the small boy was a hand-stitched leather jacket made of soft green leather with a small leather carrier bag that I had designed and sewn him myself. Jaimie had jumped in delight and hugged them to his chest before he thanked me profusely.

Sang and Seth had worked together to make his a cool clock pendent which ran backwards and opened up like a locket to display a small photo of his mother holding him the day he was born. We had recovered it after securing the Ayers children and it was one of the only photos of the two together. Jaimie had gotten emotional at that gift, tears freely streaming down his chubby cheeks and hugged Trouble and his brother for a good couple minutes. Seth had only hugged him back in response while Sang wrapped her arms around the both of them. I fought a knot of emotion in the back of my throat as I watched the touching scene only to have my attention drawn away at a loud yapping bark.

Turning to face the entrance, I saw Tom holding back an excited ball of fluff complete with a big green bow. Dancing and squirming about, a large black puppy that was all gangly limbs and scrawny proportions whimpered and whined in excitement. It's butt was wagging in time with it's tail, throwing it off balance every so often. A small gasp followed by a large squeal of delight cued me into the fact that Jaimie had seen his final gift. Jaimie was watching the puppy in wide eyed fascination, dancing from foot to foot, his excitement so complete he couldn't get a single word out. He looked back at Carol as she stood behind him and answered his silent question.

"Yes, sweetheart, he's all yours."

Uttering another noise of excitement, Jaimie ran across the room to get to his new puppy. Said puppy broke free from Tom's straining grip at the same moment and charged the room to meet the running child. I started forward in concern as they collided and hit the ground with a loud thump, North several steps ahead of me, but all Jaimie did was begin giggling in earnest as the puppy licked him frenetically. Seth ran after his brother and attempted to pull the large pup off of his giggling brother but it only pulled Seth down and began licking his face in earnest as well. Sang rushed in to save the two boys who were now helpless with giggles and managed to push the puppy off of them.

The other children in the room crowded around the new puppy and lovingly pet and played with it for the rest of the evening before it was time to go. The kids were delighted to find that they were allowed to keep their robes and wands as well as take home a large goody bag full of Hogsmeade candies, Weasley Wizard Wheezes products , more galleons, sickles, and knuts, dragons eggs, and a copy of each Harry Potter movie. They all wished Jaimie a happy birthday and told him it was the best party they had ever gone to. Damn right it was the best, I thought to myself. After all, I designed every aspect of the fucking thing and it had played out fucking perfectly.

Jaimie named the new puppy Severus, which he instantly shortened to Sevvie. North suggested Sirius, who turned into a large black dog in the books, but Jaimie wouldn't even consider it. He said that Sevvie had soulful black eyes, just like the real Severus, and he was fiercely loyal and loving. So the new puppy became Sevvie and Jaimie was just beside himself with glee over having a new buddy. The puppy took to Jaimie in a heartbeat and I knew the two would be inseparable from now on. Aww, a boy and his dog, nothing more fucking adorable then that. Kota offered to help train the puppy with Jaimie, who thanked him with a big hug.

I had just finished outlaying all of the directions to the clean up crew we had hired who had just arrived when I felt a tug at my sleeve. Looking down, I found myself staring into watery gold eyes and a trembling lip. Instantly in a panic, I dropped down onto my knee to put myself eye to eye with Jaimie and frantically asked him what was the matter.

"Christ Jaimie, what's wrong kiddo!? Did you hurt yourself? Do you need me to get Carol or Tom?"

He only shook his head, causing his black fluffy curls to bounce against his cheek, before he launched himself into my arms. My heart was pounding and I was freaking the fuck out. What the hell had happened? I thought the whole day had been going perfectly, and now it was ruined! I stood up with my precious cargo, his little arms tight around my neck and his face buried into my neck. I was about to head off in search of Carol or North or somebody when he raised his head and pulled out his new clock pendent. He opened the latch and showed me the picture on the inside. He stared at the image inside in obvious longing before he fucking shattered my heart by uttering the most heart wrenching thing I had ever heard.

"I don't think my mommy loved me very much the day I was born. Seth says its because mommy was sick and that she needed help, but she doesn't look that happy does she?"

He showed me the image again and I fought the tears gathering in my eyes as I took in the picture of his mother staring down at the little bundle in her arms. I didn't want to admit it to myself and I'd be damned if I ever said it to Jaimie, but I could honestly say that no, she didn't look all that happy. She stared down at her new baby with a pensive look of almost detached fascination, not as if she was a lovestruck mother of a beautiful little baby. My heart ached for Jaimie so hard at that moment and I wanted to deny his claim, even if it was a lie.

"I thought for a long time that mommy hated me and that she wanted to leave because I wasn't a good baby, but now I know that's not true. That night when you and the others saved us, mommy came to me. She told me she was sorry and that she loved me and she gave me a kiss and hugged me really tight. She was really warm and soft and smelled like roses. I wanted to stay with her forever, but she told me I had to go back and be strong for Seth. She also told me she had helped us find a new family. And when I woke up, there you all were. You are my new family Gabey, you and all the others and Sang and Tom and Carol. Thank you for saving us and being our family. That is the best present ever."

A tear tracked down my cheek at Jaimie's sweet and precious confession and I felt my heart heal and re-melt once again. Damn that fucker of a monster they had for a dad. That bastard had never deserved his sons and somehow they had grown up to be the sweetest fucking kids ever. Now they were my family and they would be the most spoiled little brats ever. Jaimie then leaned in and sweetly kissed me on the cheek. His teary golden eyes locked with mine and he gave me the most blinding smile I had ever seen.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you for the bestest birthday ever, Gabey! I am the luckiest boy alive and today was just perfect and I had so much fun and just thank you. You are all the best older brothers ever and I love the leather coat and I just loved everything!"

I felt my heart instantly melt for the third time tonight at the sweet ramblings of the young birthday boy, reassured that the boy was alright and safe. He was crying because he was so happy and just overwhelmed by it all. I just hugged the kid tighter to my chest and rocked him back and forth for a moment.

"Your welcome Jaimie, my man. Did you expect anything less from your favorite, most talented older brother? After all, I'm damn good, right?"

Jaimie giggled at my cocky statement and told me that I owed a dollar to the cuss jar they kept at home. I shook my head in amusement and promised him I'd give Carol the dollar before he went home. Sevvie sat at my feet and stared up at his new charge with diligent eyes, leaning a little into my left leg. I put a hand down and scratched behind his floppy ear, earning myself a dopey puppy smile. The dog was going to be a total beast when he got older, I could already tell. He was only four months old and he already weighed 45 pounds. Judging by the plate size paws he had and the gangly height he currently displayed, I could only imagine how large he would be at full grown weight. But he would be a perfect guardian for Seth and Jaimie and that was only to the good as far as I could tell. No one would ever hurt those boys again, that's for damn sure.

Jaimie gave a sleepy yawn before he snuggled into my chest, the events of the day surely tuckering him out. I softly hummed the Harry Potter theme music to Jaimie, who gave a small snort of amusement before he completely conked out. I stood there for a few minutes, young birthday boy in my arms and his new monster pup against my leg. That was how Carol found us a few minutes later. She delicately extracted her adopted son out from my arms and gushed at how amazing the whole event had turned out. She thanked me for all of my help and I assured her it was my pleasure. She looked a little bemused as I handed her a dollar and told her Jaimie would know what to do with it.

As I walked out to greet the rest of my team, Seth Ayers walked up and thanked me for helping Jaimie have the most memorable birthday ever. I grinned and accepted his compliment with a ruffle to his shaggy curly hair. After all, what can I say? I'm just that fucking good, I know.


End file.
